‘I know my mother so much better now than I did before I had my daughter’

Author Hattie Williams’ mother died when she was 18 years old, and she suffered severe depression as a result. But Hattie says that when she had her daughter, it was healing and made her feel closer to her own mother.

She joined Anita Rani in the Woman’s Hour studio and spoke about embarking on motherhood, mental health and why her experiences inspired her to write her debut novel, Bitter Sweet.

Listen to the full interview with Hattie on BBC Sounds – it’s the Woman’s Hour episode from 1 August.